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“For me, it was different. I think I was always searching for this person who I just knew was out there somewhere, who would step into my life and make everything finally feel complete.”

“And?” she asked with a beautiful smile and hopeful arch of her brow.

I squeezed her hand. “When you walked into my life, or rather down that hotel hallway, it was like someone turned the lights on. I thank God for you every day, and that’s not an exaggeration. You’re my dream come true, my answered prayer.” We shared a quiet smile, so much love passing between us. Just days ago, we’d been married in front of our family and friends, but this felt like the true celebration. Just the two of us in our own little paradise.

I released her hand and stepped into the water, the coolness of theocean enveloping my ankles. I reached for Kyle, who’d been silhouetted by the waning sun. “Come here.”

She took my hand and joined me in the water, just in time for a wave to crash too close to the shoreline, splashing us aggressively. We laughed and looked down, our legs now soaked. “Well, this is not ideal,” I said, shaking my head while still enjoying every second. “Do you think they’ll still let us into dinner?”

“We have time to dry off first,” Kyle said, wiping her eyes from laughter. Once we’d moved a safe distance away, she wrapped her arms around my waist from behind and rested her chin on my shoulder. I leaned back into her warmth, realizing I could stay right there in that spot forever.

“You’re my greatest adventure,” she murmured as we watched the sun dip lower in the sky, staying right where we were until the last sliver disappeared. They’d been right about that view. I’d never watched a more breathtaking display.

I turned in her arms. “Before we go, let’s make a promise. No matter what obstacles life tosses on our path, we’ll always do our best to get back to this feeling—this moment, this love. To right here.”

“You have my word,” Kyle said, her eyes sparkling with sincerity.

“You have mine, too.”

She leaned down and kissed me, and in that instant, I knew that whatever came next for us, we would take it on together. Our future was full of so many possibilities, boundless and stretched out before us like the endless sea. “Let’s go,” I said, giving her hand a tug. “I hear a fancy dinner awaits, and I want to stare at my wife some more.”

Kyle tilted her head and grinned. “Well, your wish is my command.”

The stars twinkled overhead as we stepped off of that beach and into the next chapter. Together.